The Big U consists of 3 components: Big Bench; Battery Berm; Berm. Big Bench is a continuous protective element adapted to local context that mediates new and existing infrastructure. It is designed like street furniture: practical yet playful. Battery Berm weaves an elevated path through the park, enhancing the public realm while protecting the Financial District and critical transportation infrastructure beyond. This signature building will feature a ?Reverse Aquarium? which enables visitors to observe tidal variations and sea level rise while providing a flood barrier.

The Berm rises 14-feet by the highways connecting coast and community with greenways. Ultimately, the Berm will cap the highway. From Bangkok to Venice, coastal cities are at risk. The Big U serves a new template for integrating resiliency with city-making. The floodplain behind the 10 miles of coastline is home to approximately 220,000 people and contains some of the largest business districts in the country (cumulatively at the core of an economy with $500 billion annual GDP) and influences economic activity globally.

More than 52 million tourists annually come to New York City. The area also contains 35,000 affordable housing units (many hit hard by Sandy). 95,000+ low-income, elderly, and disabled residents live there.